Celebrate, celebrate!

We are celebrating at our house big time! What are we celebrating? This:

Mano O is OFF blood thinners. After six months of no dark green veggies, he can eat them again without worrying it would affect his medication. I've never seen a man miss broccoli so much!

So how do we celebrate? With a dish full of broccoli, kale and spinach. We are trying to reduce our meat consumption so steak is out. We are also reducing carbs. And I had a hankering for pizza, lasagna, etc. All those good Italian things.

So Italian Veggie Bake it is.

1) Saute your choice of three cups green veggies in an oven-proof skillet in a little bit of olive oil, just until tender.  I used broccoli, spinach, and kale. Adding zucchini or summer squash is a great addition or substitution for the broccoli. You want the base of this dish to have some heft.    

2) Add a cup and a half of spaghetti sauce, stirring over medium heat until heated through.

3) Take dish off the skillet and lay slabs of a cut fresh mozzarella ball across the top. Note: Shredded mozzarella or even thin slices just doesn't do it for this dish.

4) Place in the oven under the broiler until the cheese starts to bubble and turn golden brown. Safety note: Be sure to use an oven mitt to take it out! Don't ask me how I know.

5) Serve using a slotted spatula or spoon so most of the moisture is removed from the dish. 

Now ManO loved it. And for a guy who is a meat eater at heart, that's saying something. The slab of  pseudo-meat sealed the deal without being tofu!

Now I had something else to celebrate.  At RWA, I received two requests for my manuscript. So I figured I best reward myself for putting on my big girl panties and pitching. What to do, what to do? It hit me. After San Antonio, I had to retire my favorite tote bag.  It continually snagged all my new knit dresses. Not a happy camper.

Now I am a purse fanatic. It isn't about having  a bunch of purses but about having one that will last forever and meet my very picky specifications.  Leather. Always leather. Now that alone was a difficult requirement. I would have had an easier time if I was a vegan.

My dream tote also had to be big enough to carry my favorite notepad folder of all time. Zipped, sleek and perfect for holding pitches, schedules, and a legal pad. So a large bag was in my future.

But it still had to be stylish, in a color that would pop against my new standard wardrobe of black, gray, brown or white.

I stalked TJ Maxx, Steinmart, and all the on-line outlets with no success. I may want to spend hundreds on a leather bag but I sure wasn't going to do it.  I wanted a purse with out the baggage of guilt at blowing our budget.

I stopped into our small local Belks on a whim. There it was. The fossil bag I'd seen on sale earlier in the week and still too expensive just marked down another thirty percent. SOLD. The purse fairies were so kind!

The color is  called "orchid" but it's actually a dark raspberry red.

So what about you? Are you celebrating back to school? A weight loss? Just summer coming to a close? What have you rewarded yourself with lately?


 
   

Back East

A number of us were in San Antonio this week for the RWA Conference. I had to travel a bit further than Texan Mindy but it was worth it, as a writer and a reader.  I came back with requests for my manuscripts from agents and publishers and lots of good memories. 

I fell in love with San Antonio back in the 90s and was thrilled to introduce Man O to the city. But wasn't thrilled about this:

Every day!

I was thrilled about the beauty of the city, The Alamo at sunset, the Riverwalk.

ManO photobombed me, of all people.

Numerous meals had this view.

I made new friends and spent time with my friends like my Golden Heart nominated buddy Piper:

Man O and I watched Miss Congeniality, the quintessential San Antonio set movie. Still such fun.

And we knocked Fredericksburg, Texas off of my twenty year old bucket list. I fell in love with it from a magazine article in Southern Living. Can you tell why? So many neat stone houses and the National Museum of the Pacific War. Antique shops. And they grow everything bigger in Texas, including the M&Ms.

Enjoyed the food (will be talking about it more in the future) but I am really glad to be back home in my own home, lower humidity and being able to cook again. That means the vacation did it's job!

Have you been to San Antonio? Do you have a favorite cute little town you like to visit? What places are on your bucket list? 

 

RWA 2014, Part One

Tex here, fresh off the heels of RWA 2014 in beautiful San Antonio, Texas.

From the time we arrived, it was obvious that Harlequin was a huge sponsor of this shindig. 

Wherever you turned, there was a Harlequin sign. 

I particularly liked this elevator door, though.

Recognize anyone noteworthy here?

RWA's annual literacy signing was my first event. I was so excited. 

The massive ballroom was filled with energy.

The next night was a party hosted by Amazon.

My roommate, Lindi Peterson, and I decided to go as twins.

I finally got to meet our own Julie Hilton Steele.

That's her on the right. Not the best pic (sorry Julie), but proof that we have met.

This party was packed, but with all the right stuff.

Like roaming cowboys.

Wish this was a better pic, but you get the idea.

That's Mary Curry, one of LIS's newest authors, along with Missy Tippens, Lacy Williams, Laurie Alice Eakes and Deb Kastner there in the lower right hand corner.

I think Missy was kinda likin' that cowboy.

And while he was impressive, you'll notice that I got a better shot of the candy.

Chat balloons with little hearts in them. 

How cute is that?

Luckily they weren't peanut. Otherwise, the bowl would have been empty.

Friday night was biggest event in my book.

The Harlequin party. I've heard about this party for years, but this was my first. 

L-r: Janet Dean, Tina Radcliffe, Lacy Williams, Missy Tippens, Merrilee Wren, Myra Johnson, me, Mary Curry and Debby Guisti.

Does this group clean up well or what?

We piled into cabs and headed to Westin Riverwalk Hotel.

Oh, my. Such a gorgeous place.

After climbing the grand staircase, we spilled into a beautiful lounge area decorated in red and white.

I really wanted to take one of these pillows home with me, but decided to behave.

Lavish displays were everywhere.

And the desserts...?

How I missed tasting this flourless chocolate cake is beyond me. 

I guess I was in such awe.

This was the s'more station, complete with homemade marshmallows. 

They're the square ones on the left, regular and chocolate.

Very, very cool.

But not as cool as this.

Any guesses as to what they're making?

Ice cream.

But not just any ice cream. This was liquid nitrogen ice cream.

See that big silver tank behind the chefs in the fist pic?

I've seen them make this type of ice cream on the The Food Network, but have never tasted it.

How do they make it, you ask?

Well, they whisk their ice cream mixture, then they add the liquid nitrogen until it's frozen.

It is the creamiest ice cream you will ever have.

Personally, I could have taken this big old bowl and huddled in a corner somewhere until it was gone.

Absolutely amazing.

Missy and I having fun in the blond section. :)

I gotta hand it to those Harlequin people. They really know how to throw a party.

And they think of everything.

Remember that red and white table display I showed you above?

Socks.

They knew 200 women would be ditching their high heels after a couple dances.

This was my first RWA since 2007, and I had a blast.

Now I'm counting the days until they meet in NYC next year. If for nothing more than the Harlequin party. :)

Missy will be sharing more on the conference later this week.

So until then...